Nigeria: Winner of Vanguard Online Readers Man of the Year Award Is...

Imo state indigenes both in the country and in diaspora may not hesitate to claim Owelle Rochas Okorocha is the best thing to have happened to the state. He took over government house in May 2011 after a mighty battle in court with Ohakim, won the U.S Congressional Certificate of Recognition for declaring free education to state primary and secondary school students and now, he has ranked first in Vanguard online Readers' Man of the Year poll.

Note, however, that this does not make Governor Okorocha the Vanguard Man of the Year.The poll only allows readers to weigh in on the people and perhaps things that have influenced news, for better or worse, in 2012.

According to results of the poll, Governor Rochas Okorocha was joined in top ten position by President Goodluck Jonathan, renowned author Chinua Achebe, Securities and Exchange Commission boss Arunma Otteh, popular Vanguard On-line commentator Tobby 777, Nuhu Ribadu and the Islamist group Boko Haram.

A total of 135 comments had followed up on the request for nominations, out of which 53 were actual nominations.

Author Chinua Achebe made it to the top in 2nd position but had actually gotten a lot of "no way" votes for his controversial book There was a Country , while personalities like Pastor Tunde Bakare, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and late Odumegwu Ojukwu elicited quite a banter each time they were nominated but it wasn't strong enough to take them to the top of the rankings.

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